Old Tom left shortly after lunch but Jon was able to stay for the afternoon. He was absurdly pleased to be invited to their magic tutorial.
“Jon and I shall go ahead, I think,” said Sheldrake, “You three may join us in an hour’s time.”
They briefly touched on the deteriorating conditions in Kimora as they walked down the path to the shed, but Jon lost the thread of the conversation as he entered Sheldrake’s hallowed workshop in the mage’s wake. He ran his gaze in awe along the shelves filled with jars of herbs, spices, and strange, unidentifiable substances, but he was particularly taken with the scaled model of Carrador. He studied it for several minutes, asking Sheldrake questions about its accuracy and how the information had been gathered for its construction. He leaned in closer, st
